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| Ramadan: Does eating cardamom and curd during suhoor and iftar really reduce thirst? |
In the month of Ramadan, whether it's for Suhoor or Iftar, taking care of everyone's preferences at home and adding new recipes to the food has been a part of our traditions.
According to the Islamic calendar, the fasts of Ramadan sometimes come in the cold and sometimes in the summer. Now, whether it is a short-term fast or a long-term fast, there is a question on the tongue of many what will you do if you feel thirsty?
These days, the month of Ramadan in Pakistan has come in the season of March and April when the weather in most parts of the country is slightly better and milder, but as soon as Ramadan begins, everyone starts sharing their tried and tested tips to avoid thirst with their friends.
These include eating cardamom, mint, and curd at the top of Suhoor while drinking plenty of water. It is said about these tips that if you use these things in Suhoor, your fast of more than 14 hours will pass without feeling thirsty.
But how much truth is there in all these assumptions and do these tips prove useful in reducing thirst during fasting?
In this regard, we talked to nutritionist Zainab Ghaywar of Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, not only about these tips but also to know what should be eaten in Sehar and Iftar at a low cost in this era of inflation and what should be left out of the plate. Giving requires wisdom.
"Best in Yogurt Sehri, cardamom and mint not quench thirst but give a feeling of freshness"
With us, the Ramadan table has special importance from a traditional and cultural point of view. If we talk about the time of suhoor, then there is a long list from Khajle feni to parathas, eggs, and curries, especially meat dishes, curries, lassi, and milkshakes which are eaten by fasting people.
However, according to nutritionist Zainab Ghayoor, in general, we do not consume healthy foods in Suhr and Iftar. According to her, it is important to include things that help us maintain energy throughout the day with traditional dishes, and yogurt is at the top of it. Is.
It is very good to use curd during Sahri. Milk proteins obtained from milk products remain in our stomachs for a long time and due to this, we do not feel hungry for a long time.
According to him, 'Yogurt contains certain ingredients that also help meet your water needs as it contains potassium and is low in sodium.
"Some people add sugar or other things to yogurt, but if they don't add it, yogurt helps to meet our energy needs at Suhore," says Dr. Zaneeb.
On the question of whether green cardamom and mint leaves reduce thirst during fasting, he said that 'Green cardamom and mint leaves are not harmful to be chewed in a salad or as such because both of these things definitely give us a feeling of freshness. However, this is not directly related to reducing your thirst.'
Do not eat pickles and salt-rich foods in Suhoor
Zainab Ghayoor says that we have culturally added many unnecessary things in terms of food during Ramadan. According to him, the same food that we usually take for breakfast is better in Sahri.
She says that because in the state of fasting, we have to stay on an empty stomach for several hours, so we must keep certain things in mind while consuming food. "As we try to reduce our thirst, we should eat the least amount of salt."
According to nutritionist Zainab Ghayoor
"If we eat paratha for breakfast, eating paratha for Sehore may cause heartburn or acidity during the day. Instead, have eggs with chapati, curry can also be eaten, and there is no harm in it.
Pickles should not be eaten at all during Suhore because pickles contain a lot of salt. The more salty things we eat in Suhoor, the more thirsty we are during the day and we may suffer from dehydration.
Suhoor and Iftar, have accessories made especially with curds, such as chana chaat, fruit chaat, or gram salad with curd. By doing this, it also infuses the salad with milk-source protein, which is typically underutilized during Ramadan.
If you drink tea or coffee at the time of Suhoor, try not to make it too strong or strong, but with more milk, because the higher amount of caffeine will cause the body to lose water faster.
Also, take care not to drink tea or coffee right near the end of Suhoor, but take it when there is some time in Suhoor so that you can drink water later.
According to Dr. Zebanab Ghayoor, 'Tea and coffee are diuretics, so taking them at the very last moment of Suhoor will cause frequent urination and thus the body will lose water and you may be dehydrated. .'
'Fried foods are heavy on both pocket and stomach'
And here we add something about the Iftar timetable. According to our traditions, pakoras, samosas, chicken and vegetable rolls, shami kebabs and many other accessories are mandatory on the Iftar table, which is appetizing, but because they are fried in oil, they can cause harm instead of benefit. are
Dietician Zainib Ghayoor says that 'like iftar, we eat something light in the evening on normal days, so take a light snack.'
"Two to three dates increase our energy instantly, while fruits boost our energy."They are very helpful in reducing depression. At the time of Iftar too, especially eat accessories made of curd like chana chaat, curd mixed fruit chaat, curd bale, etc.
Dr. Zainib says too much-fried food is heavy on both the pocket and the stomach. She says that we traditionally prepare fried foods and dishes at the time of Iftar, eat them but balance their use.
If the weekly menu of Agraftari is made, then in the seven days of the week, we can maintain our health along with tradition and language by making chana chaat, yogurt, sometimes pakoda, sometimes samosas, and sometimes rolls. '
According to him, "if fried foods are eaten daily in Ramadan, it usually affects the functioning of the stomach and intestines, and the problem of constipation may also be faced due to the lack of fiber and potassium."
'Lassi and lemon water are good for both health and pocket'
As soon as you break you're fast, colorful cold drinks are tempting after a long day of thirst, but experts advise against drinking too much water at once.
Nutritionist Zainab Ghayoor says that consuming cold drinks during Iftar is harmful because, after the whole day on an empty stomach, when we take cold drinks, can cause stomach upset.
Therefore, take plain water or a cold drink before breaking the fast to avoid gastric pain.
He called milkshake lassi and lemon water better than juices and sweet drinks at the time of Iftar.
"Lassi and lemon water are good for both health and pocket, but instead of drinking a lot of water at once, drink little by little, whether it's Suhoor or Iftar."
While there is a lot of emphasis on tongue twisters during Ramadan, many people also consider this month to be the best time to plan their diet and try to lose weight.
When we asked Zainab Ghayoor in this regard, she said that Ramadan can be an ideal time to lose weight, which we can help by increasing the amount of salad in our diet, but a 'fat diet' in Ramadan is There may be a risk.'
According to him, a balanced diet during Ramadan can also help in losing weight to some extent but do not exercise while fasting because it can dehydrate your body. Do physical exercise when you can drink water.